How do you take statins and consume grapefruit?

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Quick Answer

Patients prescribed statins for a cholesterol condition should not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice without discussing it with a doctor first, reports the Mayo Clinic. Grapefruit contains a chemical that breaks down statins during digestion. This drug interaction can have a detrimental effect on the patient's cholesterol levels.

Statins can also interact with certain antibiotics, antifungal medications or immunosuppressant medications. In addition, statins interact negatively with the drugs amiodarone and gemfibrozil. These drug interactions can cause potentially dangerous side effects, according to WebMD.

Certain statins, such as lovastatin or simvastatin, increase a patient's risk for severe side effects. However, although these statins also interact with other medications, they can cause severe effects even when taken alone, notes the Mayo Clinic.